Desire of His Heart
by insanemonkeyboy
Summary: Lucy doesn't like the way things are, or rather aren't, progressing with Natsu. So she decides to take things into her own hands. However, her plans don't go as expected. NatsuxMira one shot. May be more in the future if I plan on making more.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Fairy Tail or the characters. They belong to Mashima.

Just a quick NaMi one shot, though there may be more to come in the future, who knows? Anywho, let me know how you like it.

Next update will be: Fiery Jade!

Ciao! Read and Review! Pleeeeaaaaseeee.

* * *

Lucy scowled as she stepped out of the dark, silent streets into a small, one-room potion shop lit only by a few flickering candles. She'd had it up to here with the dragon slayer. She tried everything she knew to get him to confess to her. But he was soooo dense.

The shop owner was behind a counter, his hooded face half lit by the candle that flickered in front of him. As if that weren't creepy enough, sickening odors assaulted her from every direction. Decay. Sickening sweetness. Sweat. Hundreds of other unidentifiable smells, mingling into one unique scent that just made her want to puke.

But if the shop owner had the potion she was looking for it would all be worth it. Maybe then he would finally realize that she was more than just another member of his guild. He would know that he was meant to be with her – forever.

Her face contorted further into a scowl while she hesitated. If the guild found out she even set foot in this shop she would almost certainly get _that_ for punishment. If they found out she bought a potion on the black market, she could be faced with prison. Even expulsion.

But this shop had the potion she needed. The one that, if consumed, would make the person who consumed it pursue the person he loved.

And she needed it. No more subtle hints. No more leaving her apartment window open. Her door unlocked. No more "accidentally" coming out of her bathroom naked while the pink-haired mage and his flying cat were perched on her couch. No more pretending to be cold just so he would move a little closer to her.

She willed her legs forward till she was at the desk. She forced the words from her mouth, hearing her voice speak in low, grating tones as though it belonged to someone else.

"Is it true that you have the carpe desiderium (A/N – latin for seize [your] desire) potion here?"

The lower half of the face, barely visible in the flickering light, twisted up into a smirk. "It might be true."

Lucy scowled. "What do you mean it might be true?" She hadn't come all this way, exposed herself to the dangers accompanying entering a black market shop, for nothing.

"Depending on how many jewels you have, it might be true." The man replied, his features still twisted into a smirk.

Ah. So that was the game. She had to confirm that she had the payment before he would confirm that he had the potion. Actually a smart way to do business if you were into selling illegal things.

"How many jewels would it take to find out?" She asked.

"1.8 million," came the reply.

Lucy flinched at the number. She thought she'd been prepared to hear those enormous numbers, but when they actually came out she discovered she wasn't nearly prepared enough. She had to force herself to reach into her purse and extract the jewels. And even then, she had to force her hand to drop nearly two year's of rent on the counter.

Her reward was a tiny flask, no bigger than her pinky, with a clear liquid inside it. The man pocketed the money and said, in his raspy, slightly high-pitched voice, "Make sure he consumes it. It's odorless and tasteless, so it shouldn't be too difficult."

"Thanks," Lucy managed as she turned and hurried out of the shop. She kept a fast pace till she was a good distance from the building, not wanting to chance somebody seeing her. Not that she needed to worry. The streets were darker than midnight, and the entire city lay under a thick, murky blanket of clouds.

 **~~~The Next Day~~~**

Erza smiled from her spot at the bar, her eyes on the pink-haired dragon slayer a few seats down. He was currently engaged in a conversation with Mirajane, his hands moving in every direction as he remembered some experience they shared in the past. His beer sat forgotten on the bar next to him.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Lucy come up. The blonde approached the bar and came up right next to Natsu, her body almost pressed against him.

"Natsu~" she cooed. "It's been a while since we've been on a quest together… Just the two of us~"

Erza couldn't help noticing the way Mirajane's eyes lost their smile at this interaction. The barmaid suddenly became very focused on polishing the spot on the bar right by Natsu's seat.

"Well, of course!" Natsu said, completely oblivious to what was happening. "Team Natsu always sticks together, so we're always going out on missions together."

"I know…" Erza's eyes widened a little as she thought she caught Lucy's hand tipping toward Natsu's drink behind his back. "But I'd love to do a mission with just the two of us. It would be like my first job here at the guild again."

Erza tried to get a read on the blonde, already questioning what she thought she'd seen. Lucy obviously liked the dragon slayer, but she wasn't that desperate, was she?

"I don't know Luce," Natsu said. "I'm not really in the mood for a job right now. Been training my ass off the last few weeks and I'm pretty beat." He offered her a toothy grin.

"Oh," Lucy seemed unfazed by this response. "Well, if you change your mind, I'll be at my apartment." She smiled seductively at the dragon slayer. "Taking a bath~" With that she pinched his cheek lightly and turned around, heading out of the guild.

"Umm… Ok Luce," Natsu said, staring at her retreating form with a confused expression on his face. Erza sighed as she also watched the blonde depart. Apparently she'd been wrong about that too.

"So anyway," Natsu paused, chugging the remainder of his beer in a matter of seconds. He then put the mug down on the very clean counter in front of him. "Where were we?"

"You were just talking about my battle with Jenny," Mirajane said with a sweet smile.

"Yeah," Natsu said. "It was so amazing to watch. She was sure she was about to win when she went into her battle form. And then you transformed into yours and BAAM!"

Mira smiled as he dramatically waved his arms to simulate an explosion. Then he cut off, his expression going totally blank for a few minutes. He just sat there frozen in place.

"Natsu?" Erza asked after he didn't move for over a minute. Maybe the blonde had slipped something in his drink after all.

"Natsu?" Mira looked concerned as well. "You there Natsu?"

Erza was just about to go get the master when Natsu blinked and resumed talking like he never stopped. He only stopped a moment later when he apparently noticed Mira and Erza staring at him.

"Something wrong?" He asked, looking from Erza to Mira.

Erza opened her mouth to speak, but Mira beat her to it. "Natsu, did something just happen?"

"What do you mean? I mean, Lucy just came in and asked me to go on a job with her, which I'm totally not doing, but that's all that happened."

"Huh." Erza blinked. There was definitely something going on here.

"Man…" Natsu sighed. "Anyway, Mira…" His hand crept across the counter to capture hers as she continued to wipe the bar.

Mira froze, looking at him in surprise. Erza choked on her strawberry cake. Natsu was just staring into Mirajane's eyes.

"Mirajane. I don't really know how to say this…" Natsu looked down, then looked back up determinedly. "But I've always liked and admired you. I love the way you're always protecting the people you care about. The way you always have a smile for everyone else no matter how life is treating you. I especially like your real smile, the one that lights up your face and makes your eyes sparkle like twin stars… I can't tell you how much I missed that when we thought Lisanna was dead…."

Natsu took a deep breath before continuing. "And that doesn't even scratch the surface of all your wonderful qualities, Mira. But, what I'm trying to say is… I really, really, like you… and…" he gulped. "Would you go on a date with me?"

Erza felt like her jaw was about to hit the floor. Mirajane squeaked out a "YES!" before she fainted behind the bar. Macao, who was nursing a drink nearby, was pounding his head against the table along with Wakaba. Lisanna, on the other side of the bar, looked a little sad. Everyone else was either too far away or too busy to realize what just happened.

Natsu just happily walked out to prepare for his date.

 **~~~Lucy's Apartment~~~**

Lucy's smile was beginning to disappear. It had been almost an hour now. With Natsu's inhuman endurance and speed, the dragon slayer should've easily made it to her apartment by now. So where was he?

Could something have gone wrong? No. She'd turned at the last instant, peeking through the crack in the guild door to make sure that he'd finished drinking his beer. The shop owner had assured her the potion would take no more than 5 minutes to take effect. So where was the dense, pink-haired dragon slayer?

Was it possible that he still didn't even know he wanted her? No. Somewhere deep down, he had to realize it. There was no way anyone in the guild could resist her sex appeal and charms. Especially Natsu. Unless…

Wait. Was he gay? The idea never crossed her mind before. But considering how he seemed to not even react to the many times he'd seen her naked or mostly naked, it was a legitimate possibility. But that meant…

Her mind was instantly filled with images of Natsu getting beaten to a pulp by either Laxus or Gray as he came out and professed his undying love for one of them. She suddenly felt bad for the pain and suffering the dragon slayer would suffer because of this.

No. Maybe he was still working up the courage. She could understand why he would still be nervous to approach someone with her appeal. The poor boy probably assumed he didn't stand a chance. Well, she hoped he would hurry and get over here and find out just how lucky he was. He'd better hurry, because sitting in the water this long was going to make her beautiful skin start to get wrinkly.

Half an hour later, when the water started causing her hands and feet to start wrinkling up, she decided it was time to get out of the tub. She dried off as quickly as she could and got dressed, applying some cream to the visible areas of her skin and paying special attention to her hands and feet, where the wrinkling effect was bad. Then she waited another half hour till her skin looked sufficiently supple and creamy again before heading to the guild.

When she got to the guild, she saw Erza sitting at the bar. Lisanna was giving her an iced tea, her usual beverage. Elfman and Evergreen were hanging out at a table near the bar. Macao and Wakaba were also hanging out near the bar, both looking just a little more depressed than usual. Nab was at his usual place near the request board. Gajeel and Levy were at a table, across from each other. Nearby, Jet and Droy continued to stare enviously at the iron dragon slayer. Gray was currently in his boxers, and Juvia was staring at him from a nearby tail, blood dripping from her nose.

But the guild was noticeably lacking a boisterous pink-haired dragon slayer.

"Hey Erza," Lucy said coming up to the bar. "Have you seen Natsu?"

"Natsu?" Erza said casually. "He left a couple hours ago to prepare for his date."

"Date?" Lucy asked, startled as a light pink dusted her cheeks. "But he hasn't even asked me yet?" She knew the potion would make him pursue the person he loved, but she never imagined he would be so bold as to get ready for the date without even asking her first.

"Oh." Erza said, her face still impassive. "I suppose I should've been clearer. He's getting ready for his date with Mirajane."

Lucy froze, certain she heard wrong. "Wha—?"

"Yeah," Erza said as though nothing out of the ordinary was happening. "It was the strangest thing. Right after you left Natsu just stopped talking in the middle of a conversation. Didn't even move for a whole minute. Then, out of the blue, he asked Mira to go on a date with him."

"That can't be right," Lucy said, a blank expression on her face as she stared at the older girl. "Natsu was supposed to ask me for a date."

"So you were expecting him to ask for a date today?" Erza cocked an eyebrow. "Something happen between you two recently?"

"Umm, no…" Lucy stammered. "Nothing out of the ordinary…"

"Are you sure?" Erza asked, her tone searching. "I mean, Natsu's not the kind of person I would expect to suddenly ask someone on a date, so if you were expecting him to ask you out today something must've happened between the two of you."

"Umm…" Lucy's mind was in overdrive as she tried to come up with an explanation. Suddenly, as a faint sheen of sweat covered her fair skin, a solution came to her. A solution for both her current problem in answering the knight and for Mirajane.

"Well, if you must know," she said, looking down. "Natsu was supposed to ask me on a date today because… well," she blushed, putting on what she hoped was a properly embarrassed expression. "I'm not exactly a virgin anymore…"

"What?!" Erza's eyes widened.

Lucy forced tears to her eyes. "Yeah… It was kind of an accident to be honest, but a couple nights ago Natsu was over at my place as usual and I… well, I forgot he was there and came out of the bath to get dressed. He was sitting on my bed waiting for me to come out and, er… I was shocked and went to attack him. He blocked on instinct… And, well, one thing led to another…" She blushed deeply, forcing the tears to keep coming. "He said he would take responsibility and tell the guild… And he was going to ask me out on our first official date today…" She buried her face in her hands. "I can't believe Natsu would do something like this."

"Funny you should say that," Erza said, her voice still calm and even, though perhaps a little more hostile. "Because I can't either."

Lucy wasn't sure how to interpret that statement. She'd expected the knight to respond with fury at the pink-haired dragon slayer and rush off to punish him and drag him back. She looked up, cautiously, to catch the redhead's eyes. She did see anger there, but it was impossible to tell who it was directed at or why. She decided to push the bluff a little further, hoping to trigger the knight's outrage and desire to protect her friends.

"As upset as I am about what he did to me, I can't help worrying about Mirajane," she said, her voice the picture of worry and fearfulness for her friend. "I mean, she's been hurt so much in the past… and if he's going on a date with her to just fuck her and leave her like he did me…" She left the thought unfinished.

She was surprised when the knight firmly grasped her arm and started pulling her away from the bar. Was she going to bring her to confront Natsu? She'd kind of expected her to go herself. "Umm, Erza? Where are we going?..."

"To see Porlyusica," the knight replied.

"Porlyusica?" She was confused. "But I'm not hurt…"

Erza shrugged her shoulders. "Porlyusica is skilled in all things medical. She'll be able to tell if you're still a virgin or not."

Fighting back her sudden fear, Lucy bit her lip, forcing tears to come back to her eyes. "You… You don't believe me?" She was doing her best to sound betrayed. Victimized.

"Like you said," Erza replied, her voice hard. "I can't imagine Natsu doing something like that. Natsu's as loyal as they come. And he may be a bit of a blockhead, but there's no way I can imagine him doing something like what you're describing. So this is a simple test. If it turns out you're telling the truth, which I highly doubt, I'll find Natsu and beat some sense into him. But if it turns out you're lying…"

"Wait a minute," Lucy said, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. "How do you know she'll be able to accurately tell whether I'm a virgin or not? Maybe her results will be wrong. Are you going to do something drastic based on a test you can't even know if it's accurate?"

"Funny that you should suddenly be so worried Lucy," Erza said as she entered the infirmary. "I've never known you to doubt Porlyusica's abilities before. But don't worry. Her tests will be 100% accurate."

"Erza," Porlyusica said curtly, approaching the two. "She doesn't look injured." As usual, the old healer didn't bother with niceties, nor did she mince words.

"She's not," Erza said. "I need a favor from you."

Porlyusica sighed. "What is it, Erza?"

Lucy smirked inwardly as her free hand touched her keys. She could finally escape! Before she could grasp them, though, a gauntleted fist grabbed her hand and yanked it away from her keychain.

"I need you to tell me whether this woman is a virgin, and if she's not I need to know if you know the person she lost her virginity with. Can you do that?"

Porlyusica sighed. "Give me one good reason I should attain such personal information and share it with you, Erza."

So Erza explained her reasons, and by the time she was done Porlyusica's expression was even more grim than usual.

"Alright," she said quietly. "But from the looks of it, you'll have to hold her while I perform my tests…"

Lucy struggled as the knight pulled her over to the bed. "I can't believe you're doing this to me," she cried out, continuing to struggle futilely against Erza's grasp. "I've just been used by my own teammate and you're accusing me of lying! What's wrong with you people?!"

"I'm not accusing you of anything," Erza replied quietly. "I'm just verifying whether you're telling the truth or not. If you are, you have nothing to worry about."

Lucy was thinking frantically. How could she get out of this mess! Her arms were currently being strapped to one of the infirmary beds, Erza's strength easily overcoming her attempts to break free. There had to be something she could do. Perhaps she could explain away whatever results Porlyusica's tests returned. It would help if she knew what kind of tests the old healer would be performing.

Suddenly a golden light flashed next to the bed and Leo appeared in front of her in a defensive posture. Lucy sighed in relief. Now they couldn't go through with their plan without causing a huge scene.

"When I felt Lucy in danger, I never expected to be defending her from the guild…" Leo said. "Stand down, Titania. I would prefer not to fight."

"Then don't," Erza said. "Lucy's not in any imminent danger. Porlyusica is just going to perform a couple simple tests on her. The results of those will determine whether or not she's in any actual danger."

"What kind of tests?" Leo said, not dropping his defensive posture.

"Well, Lucy here accused Natsu Dragneel of taking her virginity and then refusing to take responsibility. Of course, this was after she discovered that Natsu and Mirajane have a date this evening. So it's pretty simple. Porlyusica is doing a test to find out if Lucy is still a virgin, and if not, whether it was Natsu who took her virginity. And if she was telling the truth, then Natsu's in for a world of pain."

Leo looked confused. "Is that true Lucy?"

Lucy gulped, searching her brain for answers. "No! Erza's mad because Natsu chose me over her, and now she's concocted this plan to take revenge on me and make it look like it's my fault!" She knew it wouldn't make sense if Leo thought about it for any amount of time, but she was counting on his love of women and his devotion as one of her celestial spirits would overcome that barrier at least long enough for her to escape.

"So you're saying Erza's jealous?" Leo's brow crinkled as he assumed a defensive posture again.

"That's a joke." A new voice sounded from just inside the infirmary. Lucy looked over, startled, to see Gajeel standing there. Erza and Porlyusica seemed just as startled.

"You've forgotten a dragon slayer's hearing, bunny girl," Gajeel said. "And I heard everything. From the Salamander asking Mira to date him to what you told Erza about him."

His voice suddenly turned dark. "Now I may not always get along with the Salamander, but that doesn't mean he's any less my family. One, he's part of this guild, and two, we're both dragon slayers. And I know for a fact Salamander's never been with you. For one, if he had, he would be the first to take responsibility for his actions. He definitely wouldn't run off and ask another girl out the very next day. But just as importantly, if Salamander bedded you, his scent would be all over you, and yours all over him. Which it's not."

Apparently Leo heard enough. "I'm disappointed Lucy," he said as light surrounded him.

"Wait!" Lucy screamed. "I didn't dismiss you!"

"You didn't call me either," the lion reminded her just before he disappeared in a flash of light.

"Now for those tests," Porlyusica said grimly.

 **~~~The Strauss Residence~~~**

Mirajane checked her makeup one more time in the bathroom mirror as the knock sounded on her door again. She couldn't believe Natsu had actually asked her out on a date! She was sure he would end up with Lucy. Or Lisanna. Or even Erza. She wished it would be her, but she never dared to hope the dragon slayer would actually choose her over the others who he seemed so much closer to.

She adjusted her form-fitting, strapless dress, making sure the black fabric covered the strapless bra she was wearing underneath it. She turned around one more time, checking to ensure that the bra wasn't showing above the low-cut back. Satisfied, she straightened out the hem of her dress one more time, pulling the silky fabric down to the midpoint of her thighs where it belonged, before slowly descending the stairs.

She waited until another knock sounded, then opened the door, half expecting to see Natsu in his usual baggy black pants, bare chest, and black vest. But when she opened the door she was surprised. The dragon slayer wore a pair of nice, navy blue jeans that ended just at his black shoes. Above that he wore a dark red shirt that hugged his muscular chest and six-pack, with his signature black vest over the shirt. His white, scaly scarf was also in its usual place around his neck, and she smiled slightly, thinking how the dragon slayer never parted with this treasured accessory. _I wonder how he'll fit it into the wedding attire._

She slapped herself mentally. It was way too early to be thinking about weddings! This was just the first date!

"Wow Mira… You look… Amazing!" Natsu exclaimed, a slight blush on his cheeks. Mirajane smiled wider, feeling her own blush surfacing at the compliment.

"Thanks Natsu, you look pretty good yourself," she said. Natus grinned and offered his arm to her, which she took as she stepped out of her house and shut the door behind her. "So what does my little dragon have planned for us today?" She said with a grin.

"It's a surprise," Natsu replied as the pair stepped out into the streets of Magnolia.

Mira noticed a lot of stares as they walked down the streets. A lot of men were looking at Natsu with envy in their eyes. And Mirajane could feel the envious eyes of many of the girls on her. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised. After all, Natsu's popularity skyrocketed after the Grand Magic Games and the destruction of the Eclipse Gate. Then after he became the hero that saved Ishgar from the invasion of the Alvarez Empire, his popularity went up even further.

"So Natsu," she asked, wondering if she really wanted to know the answer. "What made you decide to ask me out anyway?"

Natsu shrugged. "I can't really say, fully. I just felt like if I kept waiting, someone else would come along and take you before I got the chance. So I decided I needed to ask even if I was afraid you would reject me…"

Mira giggled. "You were afraid I would reject you? I've been hoping you would ask me for years, Natsu."

"Really?" Natsu blinked, surprised. "I thought you would've gone for someone like Laxus… or even Freed. I mean, his magic is rather similar to yours."

Mira just laughed again. "I'll admit Laxus is physically attractive, but that's about as far as it goes. He'd make a great fling, but I'm not a fling kinda' girl. I've always wanted to have a relationship I knew could be permanent…"

She paused, then said. "And even if I did want Freed, which I don't, you would have a better chance with him than I would."

"What?!" Natsu almost shouted. Then looked around at all the people staring at them and lowered his voice to a loud whisper. "Freed's gay?!"

Mira couldn't help giggling at the dense dragon slayer. "Why am I not surprised that you're the last person in the guild to figure that out?"

Natsu blushed. "Stop making fun of me Mira…" he whined.

Mira just laughed again, leaning over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'm not making fun of you Natsu. Sure, you can be dense sometimes, but it's one of the things that I love about you."

"Thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome," Mirajane smiled. Just then they came to a stop in front of the theater.

"We're going to see a movie?" Mirajane quirked a brow as she looked at the dragon slayer. She would've thought he'd take her for something active, not that she was complaining. Then again… "What movie are we seeing."

Natsu just offered her a toothy grin. "It's called 'The Demon that Conquered the Dragon.' It's based on an old legend about a war between the dragons and the demons, long before humans even existed. The legend says that a prominent general in the dragon army fell for one of the strongest demon warriors. The story is about the two, trying to fight on opposing sides in the war as they secretly develop a relationship in their time away from the battlefield. It's supposed to be really good. Enough action for the men, but lots of romantic mushy scenes that girls will like too."

Mirajane was surprised. "Wow Natsu, I never would've expected you to put so much thought into a movie."

Natsu blushed. "To be honest, I had some help from Wendy."

"Ah," Mirajane smiled, squeezing his arm gently. "It was very sweet of you to ask her though. A lot of guys would just go to a movie they really want to see."

Natsu shrugged. "It does look interesting to me," he said with a smile. "So I guess it's partially that way."

Mira just laughed as they bought tickets and headed into the theater. She honestly wouldn't have much cared what movie they were seeing, so long as it was with him. But she wouldn't tell him that. It was much better to go see a movie she would be pretty sure to enjoy as well. As they headed to the concessions she just hummed to herself. This was truly going to be a great date.

 **~~~In the infirmary~~~**

Porlyusica faced Lucy, Gajeel, and Erza with a very serious expression. "My tests have confirmed that Lucy is still a virgin."

Lucy shivered as Erza glared at her. "What… What are you going to do to me?"

Erza just stared at her for a few minutes before reaching into her pack. She pulled out a beer mug. "Now that that's confirmed, I have one more request for you," she said to the old healer."

"I hadn't decided whether to do anything with this till I found out for sure she was lying." Erza spoke calmly, a harsh tint to her voice as she presented the mug to the old healer. "This is the cup Natsu was drinking out of just before he asked Mirajane out for a drink. I took this while nobody was looking because it looked like Lucy slipped something into it before she left the guild. If she did, do you think you could find traces of it and identify it?"

"It's very possible," Porlyusica said. "If she did slip something in, even if there's no physical residue left, the magic signature would still be there… I'll be able to tell you in about 10 minutes."

As the old healer left, Erza looked at Lucy. "I decided I'm not going to punish you," she said quietly. "At least, not directly. I'm leaving that to master. After all, he's very protective of his children. I can't imagine what he would do when he found out someone attempted to drug one of his children, then lied to try hurt him, and continued lying until she was caught. But whatever he does, you can bet it will be worse than _that_.

Lucy shivered again. She couldn't imagine what punishments the master could come up with that were worse than _that_. She didn't want to. "Don't tell the master," she whimpered.

Erza just looked at her coldly. "If you had taken any of the chances I gave you to confess that you were lying about Natsu, I would've just given you a sound thrashing and kept the matter of Natsu's drink to myself. But you carried the lie as far as you were able. Whatever Porlyusica finds is going straight to Master Makarov."

After 10 more minutes of Lucy pleading with Erza and Gajeel to not let the master find out about her behavior, Porlyusica came back in with a grim expression on her face. "I found remnants of a potion's magic signature in the cup," she told Erza. "It was an extremely rare and dangerous potion found only on the black market. The potion is known as Carpe Desiderium, and its effect is that whoever consumes it will immediately fell a compulsion to pursue the person they most desire. My guess is that Lucy assumed that the person Natsu most desired was her, and her plan was to use the potion to force him to ask her out. But when he asked Mira out instead, she lied because she was angry and wanted to force the two apart."

"That doesn't sound that dangerous though," Erza said. "I mean, what's the worst that can happen?"

"The potion has a dark side to it," Porlyusica said. "If Mira had said 'no,' one of three things would've happened, depending on the personality of the person to whom the potion was given. One, he would've taken her forcefully, which, knowing Natsu, wouldn't have happened. Two, he would've sunk into depression, refusing to fight, to go on jobs, to come to the guild, and eventually to even eat till he literally starved to death. I personally think this would've been the most likely for Natsu. Or three, he would've been overcome with anger. He would've beaten and possibly killed anyone who he thought was getting close to her, and eventually killed her so no one else could have her either."

Erza and Gajeel both had their jaws set hard, staring at Lucy in pure anger. She shook with fear, trying to shrink back into the mattress. "But everything worked out fine, right guys?"

"Worked out fine?!" Erza roared. "You played with the life of one of our guild members! And not just any guild member. Natsu Dragneel! The mage who has single-handedly saved all of us – including your sorry ass – more times than we can count!" Erza's sword was in her hand now as she advanced faster toward the bed.

Lucy froze, tears coming to her eyes as she was certain the scarlet-haired knight was going to end her right there. But Porlyusica stepped between them.

"Erza," she said sharply. "I think it's best that you and Gajeel leave before you do something you regret."

Lucy continued to shiver in fear for several long minutes, knowing that if it came down to it the healer wouldn't be able to protect her against Titania's wrath. But eventually Erza put her sword away, turned, and walked angrily out of the room, with Gajeel close on her heels.

Lucy was granted a reprieve. But it was a reprieve she knew wouldn't last.

 **~~~Magnolia~~~**

Mirajane smiled across the table at Natsu as she took another sip of her pinot gris. She'd been very surprised to have a first date that was very much like her dream date, ending with a romantic dinner in Magnolia's finest gourmet restaurant. What amazed her even more was how Natsu ate normally, not shoveling his food down as fast as he could get it in his mouth.

Now they were waiting for dessert. Natsu hadn't been about to order anything, but Mirajane managed to convince him to try a slice of her favorite chocolate and white chocolate marbled cheesecake.

When the cheesecake got there, Mirajane grinned as she cut a piece off of Natsu's and slowly pushed the fork toward his mouth.

"What are you doing Mira?" Natsu asked, blushing.

"I'm feeding you dessert," she grinned. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

Natsu blushed again as he opened his mouth, allowing her to put the cheesecake in before picking up his fork and cutting a piece off his slice.

"You're right," he said as he pushed the piece toward Mira's mouth. "It does taste really good."

Mira blushed slightly as she opened her mouth, allowing the dragon slayer to feed her a piece of cheesecake. She chewed it slowly, enjoying the luscious blend of the two chocolate flavors with the sweet, crumbly crust that fell apart in her mouth. She then fed him his next bite, and waited as he ate it and fed her another bite. The two continued like that, drawing stares from the other guests, till both slices of cheesecake were entirely gone.

Once Natsu paid their tab, the new couple headed out to walk back toward the guild. The sun was no below the horizon, and the sky was just darkened enough to see the first stars peeking through the blue-gray dusk. A cool breeze whispered across the streets of Magnolia, causing Mira to shiver and huddle closer to the warmth of her boyfriend. He instinctively responded by putting an arm around her shoulder as they walked. They were mostly silent now. Neither really needed to speak. They just enjoyed each others' closeness.

Mira wished the walk would never end, but all too soon she found herself in front of a familiar door.

She turned slowly to Natsu, smiling softly into his onyx eyes. "Thanks for the date, Natsu. It was wonderful."

"I'm glad you liked it Mira," Natsu said, blushing lightly as he returned her smile. "Can we do it again sometime?"

"Anytime you want," Mirajane replied, her heart fluttering. She was about to turn to go, but Natsu caught her, pulling her gently into his arms. Staring into her eyes with his deep, beautiful black orbs, he moved his face ever so gently toward hers, till she felt the warmth of his lips against hers. It barely lasted for a second before he pulled back again, releasing her lips from the kiss.

"Good night Mira," he said as he turned, happily heading off toward his house.

"Good night Natsu," she called after him. _I love you._

 **~~~Guild infirmary~~~**

"Um guys?"

Lucy Heartfilia hadn't called out to anyone for a long time. She was really hoping that they would forget about her and the punishment she was sure they had planned. But now she couldn't take it anymore. Her bladder felt like it was about to burst, and she needed to get to a bathroom, quick.

There was no response. Great. Everyone had gone home for the day and left her strapped to this fucking bed. What the hell was wrong with these people anyway? She tried again, uselessly, to fight against the straps that held her down.

"Come on guys, this isn't funny!" She yelled, loudly now. But there was still no answer. Not even a sound to indicate someone was actually still in the guild.

"Guys?..." Suddenly she felt a warm trickle run down her crotch between her legs and onto the bed. _Fuck. No No NO! I have to wait!_ "Guys come on! I really have to pee bad!"

But her bladder had other plans. Another trickle slipped out, making a large wet spot in her panties. Then another. Lucy tried to hold it longer, but it was too painful. Suddenly, like a dam breaking, the entire contents of her bladder spilled out, She felt the warm, slightly sticky liquid soak her panties, pour down the insides of her thighs, and pool under her ass in the bed.

"Ok guys! This is totally not cool!" Again her shouts fell on deaf ears. If there was anyone else in the guild, the apparently were playing 'don't listen to Lucy.'

It was the beginning of a very long night for Lucy.

* * *

Alright - that's that. Don't forget to drop a review plz!


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Fairy Tail or the characters. That all belongs to Mashima.

There have been a lot of requests for a part 2, so I decided to write a second part for this (originally) one-shot. Fair warning - Lucy is basically a villain, and part 2 is a lot darker than part 1. Partially inspired by a suggestion from rrm232. Read and Review as always. Oh, and I may make an epilogue...**

* * *

It was early when Mirajane came into the guild, the first to arrive as always. She opened everything up, humming happily to herself as her mind replayed the events of the previous evening. How the pink-haired dragon slayer summoned up the courage to confess to her she didn't know, but she was really happy that he did. Despite all her matchmaking, she'd always secretly hoped – prayed even – for this.

But as she went to open up the infirmary her nose wrinkled up in disgust. The stench of stale piss permeated the air, along with a slight smell of other BO. As she scanned the room for the source of the smell a groan from one of the infirmary beds caught her attention.

"Lucy?" Mira came over to the bed, wide-eyed, and undid the straps that were holding the blonde mage down. "What happened?" She almost had to hold her breath to keep from vomiting at the strong stench of stale urine.

"Erza and Gajeel got mad at me when they found out about the potion," Lucy groaned, rubbing her arms.

"Potion?" Mira looked at the blonde, confused. This was the first she'd heard of a potion.

Lucy had a deer in the headlights look as she responded, "Oh. I guess they didn't tell you."

"Tell me what?" Mirajane felt her knees growing weaker. Was it possible that everything that happened yesterday was just an illusion? An illusion brought on by some stupid scheme of the blonde mage?

"Oh…" Lucy looked down ashamedly. "Well, I gave Natsu a potion the other day to make him fall in love with me, but it didn't work the way I thought it would. But I'm actually kind of glad, cause the potion had some side effects I didn't know about… Well, until later when we saw Porlyusica."

"What kind of side effects?" Mira demanded, suddenly grabbing the blonde and pulling her toward her angrily.

"Well, the potion would make him fall in love with whoever he's looking at when he drinks it," Lucy said, confirming Mirajane's fears. "But apparently it only lasts for so long."

"How-how long?" Mira stuttered, feeling tears beginning to form in the back of her eyes.

"Until you have sex for the first time," Lucy said a little sadly. "Then his attitude will totally change. To the point where eventually he won't even want to look at you anymore."

"No…" Mira gasped, backing away from the blonde, who just shook her head ruefully.

"I'm sorry Mira," she said. "If I'd known that from the start I never would've used that potion…"

Mira couldn't believe it. She'd loved last night so much! And it had all been a lie. Every minute of it, the effect of some stupid potion. And now really having the man she dreamed of would be forever beyond her reach. Even worse, he would end up hating her. The comfort she derived from her friendship with the dragon slayer would no longer be there.

Her first instinct was to turn and take her wrath out on the blonde who was responsible for it all, but she apparently made a hasty exit, since she was nowhere to be seen at the moment.

With that immediate outlet for her rage gone, Mira felt all the strength leave her body as she collapsed to the floor in tears. It was all an illusion. Her dragon had never really been hers, and now she could cling to the illusion for a short while only to have him hate her later.

Fortunately she had at least an hour until the rest of the guild arrived. An hour to compose herself after the worst heartbreak of her life. An hour to figure out how to act indifferent to the dragon slayer who still held her heart.

 **~~~~~~An hour later~~~~~~**

The door flew open with a bang, and Erza couldn't help smiling as everyone's favorite dragon slayer came rushing in.

"Yo Natsu, fight me!" Gray said, jumping up with his fists at the ready.

"Not now Gray," Natsu said, holding a bouquet of white roses. "I've got to talk to Mira." With that the dragon slayer headed up to the bar, roses in hand.

"Mira!" He called out, a huge smile on his face. "Look what I got for you!"

"I'm sorry Natsu," Mira said quietly. "But I can't accept those."

Erza nearly choked on her cheesecake in shock. What was Mirajane saying?! She'd obviously been so happy last night when the dragon slayer asked her out!

Natsu frowned, still trying to give the roses to Mira. "Why not Mira? I thought we were—"

"We were nothing, Natsu." Mira cut him off, staring hard at the bar top. "I just had nothing better to do yesterday. That's all."

"But you said you wanted to do it again," Natsu protested, becoming visibly upset.

"That was last night. This is now." Mira said, her baby blue eyes focused solidly on the spot on the bar she still hadn't stopped cleaning.

"Don't give me that bullshit," Natsu snapped, slamming the roses down on the bar. "You were happy last night. I can tell the difference between your fake smile and your real one. What happened Mira?"

"I just don't love you," Mira said in a monotone, still staring at the bar. "I'm sorry Natsu."

"Mira…"

Elfman moved up to the bar and pushed Natsu back. "Hassling my sister is not a man," he said.

"I'm not hassling her!" Natsu protested as he pushed back up to the bar. "I'm just trying to talk to her!"

"She clearly doesn't want to talk to you," Elfman replied, moving to punch Natsu.

His punch was suddenly intercepted by an iron fist, much to Erza's surprise. Gajeel glared at the take over mage. "Let me handle this Elfman," he said.

Elfman stared at him for a moment, then slowly backed down, standing a short distance away by the bar.

Gajeel turned to Natsu. "Look Salamander, I think something's weird too, but you're not going to get anywhere like this. Maybe the best thing to do is just leave it alone for a while and let Mira figure it out herself. I'm sure everything will work out alright." He looked at Mira as he said the last part, and Erza stared at the take-over mage as well.

"But…" Natsu started to protest, then looked at Mira and sighed. "I guess you're right. Come on Happy, we're going on a job." With that he headed up to the job request board and grabbed the first job his eyes came across.

"Aye sir!" Happy called out, rushing to join him as he headed out of the guild.

Erza waited till they were gone before going up to the bar, then slipping around behind it. She grabbed Mira and pulled her to the wine cellar.

"What was that?" She hissed, glaring at her.

"You should know," The silver-white haired girl responded. "Lucy told me all about the potion."

Erza sighed, realizing that Mira must now believe that Natsu only asked her out because of the potion. "Mira, you know that potion wouldn't have done anything if he didn't love you in the first place, right?"

"Lucy told me all about the potion," Mira said quietly. "I know exactly what it does now. And that's exactly why I can't be with him."

Erza sighed, exasperated. "What about the consequences Mira?" She asked, looking her straight in her baby blue eyes. "What about what it will do to Natsu?"

"The consequences are exactly why I can't keep up this relationship!" Mira growled. "You of all people should know that. Or do you think I'm some kind of cheap whore?!"

"I don't know why you're doing this, Mira," Erza said quietly. "But please reconsider your actions. Natsu's my friend, and I don't want to see him unhappy."

"So what – you'd rather see me unhappy?!" Mira almost shouted, confusing Erza more. "I'm not going through with this Erza. And that's final! Now I need to go home."

With that she brushed past Erza, leaving the knight confused and feeling helpless. She was so sure that Mira loved the dragon slayer. How did it turn around like this so suddenly? And how could the girl be so callous about Natsu's fate?

Erza sighed as she headed back up to join the rest of the guild, hoping against hope that she would find a way to restore the happiness of her two closest friends.

 **~~~~~~Three days later~~~~~~**

Three days had passed since the incident, and neither Natsu nor Mira had been seen back at the guild. Elfman said that Mira was just staying in her room most of the time, coming out only to eat. Nobody knew if Natsu was even back from his job request yet. In fact, since he had forgotten to turn it in, nobody even knew how long his request was supposed to be.

Lucy had returned to the guild, though she was a little cold toward Erza and Gajeel. Erza sighed. She supposed after they accidentally left her in the infirmary overnight she couldn't blame her too much. But she needed to get to the bottom of what was happening with Mira before things got too bad with Natsu. So she headed over to her table, sitting down across from her.

"What does the great Titania want with me today?" Lucy said, an edge to her voice.

"I'm not looking for a fight," Erza said with a sigh. "I just want to figure out a way to help Mira and Natsu be happy again."

"Heh. Looks like Natsu chose poorly," Lucy said, looking away disinterestedly.

"I understand that you're upset because Natsu didn't choose you," Erza said. "But you know what that potion can do to him if Mira continues to reject him."

"Yeah, and he deserves it." Lucy said with a shrug. "If he'd just chosen me like he was supposed to none of this would've happened."

"How can you be so cold?" Erza asked, feeling the anger rising within her. "Even if he's not in love with you, he's still one of your best friends in the guild."

"Was!" Lucy corrected her somewhat vehemently. "He was one of my best friends until he took my heart and trampled all over it. Well, if I can't have him, I sure as hell am not going to help him get with anyone else!"

Erza wanted to reach over and slap the girl hard with her gauntleted hand. She wanted to beat the shit out of her till she got some sense knocked back into her. This was Natsu's life they were talking about. There was no "best case scenario" between murderer, rapist, and dead. And here Lucy was willing to abandon him to any or all of these – just because he hadn't chosen her over Mira?

Before her temper got the better of her, Erza got up and hurried away from the table, moving instead to sit down by Gajeel. At least he would be more sympathetic to her.

"I don't understand it," she said quietly. "Did you think Mira was faking it on that date?"

"No chance," Gajeel muttered back. "She was faking it the next morning though. Any idiot could see it took every ounce of self control she had just to keep that attitude toward Natsu."

"But why?!" Erza asked, frustrated. "Why would she want Natsu to suffer like this?"

"I don't know," Gajeel replied quietly. "Did something happen on the date that she's not telling us? Maybe something she regretted later?"

"I don't know. It's hard to imagine something like that happening on the first date…" Erza said quietly.

"Whatever happened, we've got to figure out how to fix it or Salamander's gonna' be in a shitload of trouble," Gajeel replied in a whisper.

Despite the gravity of the situation Erza couldn't help a small smirk. "Aaww, I didn't know you cared," she said.

"Fuck you!"

 **~~~~~~A week later~~~~~~**

The doors to the guild burst open, and Erza perked up as she raised her head, waiting to see the pink-haired dragon slayer make his dramatic entrance.

But instead of Natsu, a small blue blur came rushing in, hitting her at full speed almost hard enough to knock her off her feet.

"Erza!" Happy sounded frantic, and she saw that there were tears in his eyes. "You've got to do something!"

"Whoa – calm down… What's wrong, Happy?" Erza asked.

"It's Natsu," The exceed cried. "He hasn't eaten anything since we went on that quest. It's been over a week since he's had food, and he barely drinks anything at all. If he keeps going like this… He… He could die!"

Erza frowned as she remembered the side effects of the potion. Could it be that they were taking effect this quickly? Perhaps accelerated because of the apparent acceptance before the rejection?

Either way, Happy was right. Something had to be done! But… she knew she couldn't do anything by going to Natsu. No. There was only one way she could solve this.

Moments later she was knocking on Mirajane's door. When nobody answered she opened it, finding it unlocked, and came into the house. From there it wasn't hard to find Mira's room. It was the only one with a black door with the name "Mira" written in what looked like flaming letters on the outside. She knocked on that door, louder than the first one.

"I already told you I'm not going to the guild today Elfman!" Mira's voice sounded tired and a little annoyed.

"I'm not asking you to," Erza said. "I just want you to open up.

"Erza?!" The tone was shocked. "What are you doing here? I don't really want to talk to anyone right now."

Erza wasn't about to take any more of this. She broke down the door and rushed into the room, grabbing the white haired girl by the collar.

"What's wrong with you Mirajane?!" She growled, staring at her friend's shadowed blue eyes and drawn face. "If it really hurts this much to be away from Natsu, why are you so damn stubborn?!"

"You should know more than anyone Erza!" She shouted back, not cringing away from Erza's verbal assault. "I can't be with him this way! Not knowing what's going to happen if we keep going?!"

"What's more important is what will happen if you don't!" Erza yelled, furious that Mira was being so cold hearted. She never would've believed it if she weren't seeing it right now.

"Oh, and what's that?!" Mira yelled. "Natsu will be sad for a while?!"

Erza stepped away from her, taken aback. "I thought you knew all about the side effects."

"Of course I do! Like I said, Lucy told me all about the side effects! What does that have to do with what happens if we're not together?!"

Suddenly everything clicked for Erza. Why would Mirajane want Natsu to be miserable? Why would she want to hurt him that way? She wouldn't. But maybe…

"Mira," she said, her tone gentler. "What did Lucy tell you about the potion's side effects?"

"You know…" Mira said, her defenses beginning to break at the less aggressive tone. "She told me how it would make him fall for me… but… when our relationship moves to the point of sex… He'll… He'll hate me after that…" Her composure vanished instantly as she collapsed into sobs. "That's why I could never live this way…"

Erza pushed her anger to the side, knowing it was more important to deal with her friend right now. "Mira," she said quietly. "Those aren't the consequences…"

"W-what did you say?..." Mira asked, raising her head a little bit.

"Lucy lied to you," Erza said, and she could feel the shadow her bangs were casting over her eyes as she spoke. "The potion doesn't work that way. The potion only gave him courage to express his love for a girl he already loved. The side effects were potentially bad, but not in the way Lucy told you."

"Then what?—"

"If the girl Natsu loved were to reject him, according to Porlyusica, he would either lose all interest in everything – including life – and literally not eat till he starved to death, he would take her as his own by force – in other words, become a rapist – or drive every man in her life away from her and eventually kill her so no one else could have her."

Mira's face became white as a sheet. "You mean?..."

Erza sighed quietly. "Mira, Natsu's at his little hut right now. Happy came rushing into the guild asking us to help because he hasn't eaten in over a week. I don't know how much longer he has, but he's obviously pretty far along into the process already."

"No!" Mira cried, rising up from the floor. "This is all my fault! I'm so sorry Natsu!" She rushed quickly out the door, not even sparing Erza another glance. Erza watched as she departed, then set off at a slightly slower pace herself, having a different target in mind. She would find the scheming cow who nearly got Natsu killed, and when she did there would be hell to pay.

 **~~~~~~At the Guild Hall~~~~~~**

Lucy suddenly felt a strong compulsion to leave Magnolia for an indefinite amount of time. Without saying a word to the others, she quickly got up and slipped out the doors, heading for the train station as fast as she could move.

 **~~~~~~A short time later~~~~~~**

Gray looked up with a huge grin when the doors flew open, expecting to see Natsu come charging through asking for a fight.

What he saw instead caused him to shrink back a little into his seat, nervous at this sudden turn of events. Erza Scarlet came through the door, her hand on the hilt of her sword. "Where is she?"

"Where is who Erza?" Gray asked.

"Lucy!" Erza growled, scanning the guild for her blonde target. "Where's Lucy?"

"Umm… I feel like she was just here not that long ago," Gray said, looking at the table where he was sure he'd just seen Lucy 15-20 minutes before. "Maybe she took a job?"

"By herself? Unlikely," Erza scoffed.

"Hey Erza," Gajeel said from a few tables behind Gray. "Did you get things figured out with Mira?"

"Oh, I got them figured out," Erza said, removing her hand from the hilt of her sword. "It appears some fat cow lied to her about the potion's side effects to convince her to break up with Natsu."

"Shit," Gajeel cursed. "If I'd known that I would've stopped her. I noticed her sneaking out the door about 15 minutes ago, and she looked like she was in a hurry."

Erza scowled. "10 minutes is more than enough time to get to the train station, and there was a train that left 5 minutes ago…"

"She could be anywhere by now," Gajeel agreed.

Erza sighed, making her way over to the table. "Somebody start breaking the rules now!" She yelled. "I must vent my frustration on somebody!"

Elfman took that unfortunate moment to show Nab what it meant to punch like a man, sending the wizard flying across the room right into the angry Titania's table.

After Nab was punished, Elfman spent the next 10 minutes showing Nab how to take a punishment like a man. At least, if your man takes his punishment curled up in a ball on the floor begging for his punisher to stop beating him. Gray almost felt sorry for the poor bastard. Almost.

With her frustration alleviated for the moment, Erza returned to sit by Gray and Gajeel. By now Gray was desperate to find out what happened, but when Erza and Gajeel explained it to him he almost wished he didn't know.

"I never would've thought she of all people would do that to Natsu," he said, shaking his head quietly.

"People will do some crazy things when they think they're in love…" Erza said quietly. "But that doesn't excuse it. Natsu could have died."

"Well, it sounds like Mira's gonna' fix everything, right?" Gray said hopefully.

"That's not a sure thing," Gajeel said soberly. "There's a good chance, but after this much time it's possible that the hurt and betrayal has set in so deep that Natsu won't even believe she loves him anymore…"

"We can only hope that's not the case," Erza said, staring quietly at the bar where Natsu had recently been hanging out the most.

 **~~~~~~Natsu's hut~~~~~~**

As Natsu's eyes slowly opened, the first thing he noticed was the smell of food wafting across the room. He had to admit, the food smelled pretty good too. Happy's attempts to get him to eat were getting better. Too bad the cat hadn't learned to cook like this when he still cared…

He also noticed another smell in the room, and shut his eyes tightly. He didn't know why, but the other scent reminded him of her. When she accepted the date he asked her on, he thought he would never get enough of that intoxicating scent. Now he only wished it weren't there. It increased the pain in his chest a hundred fold.

"Natsu, please eat something…" He froze. It was her voice. He wished he could just pretend to be asleep, but he knew by the tone that she'd seen him move. She knew he was awake.

"What are you doing here Mira?" He asked, trying as hard as he could to force a cheerful tone into the words.

"I'm here because I made a mistake," Mira replied, and he scrunched further into his bed to avoid being overwhelmed by her intoxicating scent.

"Yeah… I got that." Natsu answered, remembering her reaction when he'd come in with the roses the day after their date. "You made it pretty clear that day at the guild."

"No, Natsu!" Mirajane's voice began breaking. "That day was the mistake… I never should have rejected you like that Natsu. I didn't want to…"

Natsu didn't answer, except to turn away as she started coming around. She was just here because Happy had run off and told her about his refusal to eat. As soon as she got food in him she would be gone, just like before.

"Natsu…" She sounded like she was on the verge of tears, but Natsu wasn't about to be won over. He already knew what it felt like to have your heart ripped out just when you thought everything was the way it was supposed to be. It wasn't happening again. He would rather just lay here until he had no more strength…

Suddenly a weight settled on the bed behind him, and he felt large, soft mounds press against him as a pair of slender arms encircled his chest. He felt her scoot up till her slender frame pressed firmly against him, hot tears trickling down her cheeks and onto his neck where she buried her face.

"What are you doing Mira?" He asked with a sigh. He didn't have the strength to fight her, and he guessed she probably knew it.

"I'm trying to help you…" She whispered through her tears. "I'm so sorry Natsu. I don't know how I can make you believe me when I tell you that I love you, but I do. I love you, Natsu Dragneel. I want you… no, I need you by my side."

"You say that now," Natsu whispered into his pillow, his own hot tears dripping slowly down his cheeks. "But what will you say tomorrow?" He really wanted to believe what he was hearing. With all his heart he desperately yearned to know that she loved him. But how could he know? Right now he still didn't know which Mira was the real one. The one here – the one who had such a great time with him on their date, or the one that showed up at the guild the next morning.

"I know you have no reason to trust me after that Natsu," her voice startled him. It was breaking and higher than usual. "I know I betrayed you once already, and I'm sorry. I can never make it up to you, but I'm begging you to give me another chance. I know I don't deserve it after what I did, but please… If you have even a little bit of love for me, let me be yours again…"

Natsu sighed, shutting his eyes tightly. Right now he didn't know what to do. Of course he still loved her. He wouldn't be in this position if he didn't. But that didn't mean he could be sure she was being honest, no matter how sincere she sounded. He groaned, rubbing his temple with one hand. Thinking never had been his strong suit.

Finally he turned back toward Mira, his eyes still reflecting the hurt he was feeling, but also the hope that he allowed back to his heart. "I… I guess I can give this another chance," he said quietly. "Should we plan another date?"

"Of course!" Mirajane sobbed, burying her face in his chest as she clung to him like she would never let go. The couple lay like that for several long minutes, till a loud rumble from Natsu's stomach interrupted the moment. It started low, then increased in volume till it was almost as loud as his snoring, then decreased in volume again and fizzled out.

Natsu looked a little embarrassed, but for the first time since she arrived A small smile formed on Mira's lips. Then she started giggling. Then laughing. Natsu got caught up in the laughter and started laughing as well, and soon both were laying on the bed, gasping for breath as their laughter finally subsided.

"Dear Kami, my emotions are going haywire." Mira said as she wiped the remainder of the tears from her face, sobering up from her laughing fit. "Let me get you some food…"

"Thanks Mira," Natsu mumbled as he also came down from the sudden emotional high. There weren't very many words spoken after that. There was some eating. Lots of tears. Lots of confessions, and lots of cuddling. And by the time Mira left for the night, Natsu was feeling a lot less depressed and a lot more hopeful about their future.

And by the time he fell asleep, he was actually looking forward to their date.

* * *

So there it is. Read and review as always


End file.
